ASA RULING ON RYANAIR LTD

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that Ryanair Ltd's claims of having "low CO2 emissions" and being the "lowest emissions airline" were misleading. While the ASA accepted the CO2 per passenger-kilometre metric, it found that the advertisements lacked sufficient information for consumers to verify emission reductions compared to other carriers and noted that the airline's data calculations omitted well-known competitors. The case is cited as an example of "greenwashing," where companies falsely brand services as climate-friendly to mislead consumers.

• The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that Ryanair's claims of being the "lowest emissions airline" and having "low CO2 emissions" violated the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing because they were misleading.
• The ASA's reasoning for the ruling included the fact that consumers could not find enough information in the ads to determine if their personal CO2 emissions would be lower than if they flew with a different carrier, and that Ryanair's data calculations excluded well-known competitors.
• The case serves as an illustration of "greenwashing," a practice where companies advertise products or services as ecofriendly or climate-friendly when they are not, thereby misleading consumers into making perceived planet-conscious decisions.

APA

Natural Justice (2021). ASA RULING ON RYANAIR LTD. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ASA-Ruling-on-Ryanair-Ltd.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. ASA RULING ON RYANAIR LTD. 2021. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ASA-Ruling-on-Ryanair-Ltd.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=ASA RULING ON RYANAIR LTD |date=December 2021 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ASA-Ruling-on-Ryanair-Ltd.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2021asa, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{ASA RULING ON RYANAIR LTD}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ASA-Ruling-on-Ryanair-Ltd.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }